


Song of the Sun

by salt_n_pepper



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: Bittersweet, Gen, I like writing wholesome shit, I was really in my feels with this one, before all the sad shit of ph happened, young ph friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-20 13:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30005844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salt_n_pepper/pseuds/salt_n_pepper
Summary: Will envied their closeness, how relaxed they could be around each other. He wasn’t afforded that luxury to be careless that all other children seem to have. It made him feel removed from the two of them, happy in their own little world.
Relationships: Dylan Rosenthal & Lauren Sinclair, William Hawkes & Dylan Rosenthal, William Hawkes & Lauren Sinclair, William Hawkes & Rafael Hawkes
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	Song of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics are made by me

“Hey, Will!”

Two bright eyes popped into his face.

“AAAH!” Will snapped upright, almost hitting Lauren in the head. “Lauren, don’t do that! I could have hurt you, you know?”

She giggled cheekily, amused. “Don’t blame me, _that_ was all Dylan’s idea.”

“Can’t you ever keep a secret, Ren?” teased an airy, boyish voice. Will turned around to glare at its owner. 

“Ah, lighten up a little, Will. _I_ just wanted to wake you up, but Ren over there took things waaaay too far.”

“Did not!” Lauren retorted indignantly, reaching over to swat Dylan on the arm. He jumped back and the two of them commenced a bickering that Will knew would last for two minutes before they became best friends again.

Will envied their closeness, how relaxed they could be around each other. He wasn’t afforded that luxury to be careless that all other children seem to have. It made him feel removed from the two of them, happy in their own little world.

_I...should just go. I feel too out of place here anyway._

He dusted off his crisply ironed brown slacks and slipped back inside the towering house that belonged to his father, and to his ancestors before. The house that would one day belong to him. House was the only word for it, it never quite seemed like home. Will was always on edge when he was inside it and felt most comfortable only in the art room.

So that was where he headed straightaway. It was built as an extension of the original house by his grandfather, so the ceiling was lower and the lighting kinder than the rest of the rooms. The decor had been changed according to the wishes of the current house owner. Will’s mother Josephine had endeared her husband for a stunning Steinway piano and all the decorations to match. As it was only her he could never refuse, he relented. Will had practically grown up in that room, learning piano and dancing to his favorite tunes, usually played by his brother while his mother twirled him around. 

He wished that she still did that sometimes. Although Mother was still the same vivacious, lively woman that she had been when Rafael, and then Will himself, was born, she had now relinquished her sons’ education and life to their father. Stefan Hawkes was far more imposing and strict than his cheery wife and set his standards very high for his children. Will didn’t mind it so much, but he knew that Rafael hated it. There had been many times when Will would walk in on Rafael curled up against a wall, sobbing after another severe scolding. 

_“Shh, Will, don’t tell Mum, ok?” Rafael had pleaded, his eyes raw and red from all the rubbing._

_“I...I don’t want her to worry.”_

_Will had nodded solemnly, miming sealing his lips._

_“Don’t be like me, Will, don’t be a stupid failure,” Rafael murmured, his eyes welling up again. Not knowing what to say, Will just leaned on his brother’s shoulder, noticing that it was tense and trembling._

Poor Rafael spent hours studying so he could make it to the police academy, as per Father’s wishes. But he had secretly confided to his little brother that he wanted to work in the circus. 

_“Gods, Will, did you see all of them?” he gasped, giddy with wonder, after they returned from a trip to the circus three years prior. Rarely would one find stoic Rafael so carefree. “Oh, I wish I could do that! Leap and twirl and do all sorts of cool tricks!” He did a little dance, as if to mimic the acrobats._

_“Rafael Hawkes.” Father had overheard the conversation._

_“No son of mine will_ dare _disgrace his family name by participating in such_ simpleminded antics _. Don’t ever speak of this again. Is that clear?”_

_“But, Father, I-” Rafael began to protest._

_“I said. Is. That. Clear,” Stefan hissed through his teeth._

_Will watched his brother’s fists clench and unclench at his sides as he bit out “Yes, Father._ ”

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Will seated himself on the sleek wood of the piano. He loved improvising, even if he wasn’t very good at it yet. It was nice to feel his emotions run out like a steady tap. 

_How do I feel right now?_

_Lonely, ashamed, afraid, nostalgic._   
  


C minor seemed like the perfect key for this. Depending on the chords you used, it could sound both melancholy and hopeful all at the same time. Setting his fingers on the keys delicately, he started slowly yet surely, letting his feelings guide his hands into whatever pattern they wanted. At some point, he realized he had shifted into the melody of his favorite childhood song.

_Call the sun by her name_

_And she will respond in kind_

_To shine away all your worries_

_And brighten up your life_

_Reach your arms_

_Stretch to her rays_

_And sing her song_

_She’ll come in a blaze_

_To save your soul from the hurts of the world_

_And to love you once again_

_Sunshine, my darling child_

_You are mine, my dearie boy_

_I’ll cradle you when the night is dark_

_Just let your heart find your lovely voice_

His mother had sung it to him countless times in her warm, honey voice. Rafael loved it too, even if he didn’t like to admit it. They both found the song to be comforting, if a little unrealistic for their lives. The sun that was spoken of in this song was missing for them. 

“You certainly enjoy this song, don’t you?” A familiar tone spoke from the doorway.

“Oh, hello, brother.”

Rafael laughed. “Why aren’t you out with your friends in the backyard?”

“I just wanted to come here for a bit,” Will avoided the question artfully.

“Well, at least play it right. You’re messing up on some of the chords. Here, let me help you.” He sauntered over, confident as could be and seated himself on the right side. “You do the left hand and I’ll show you the right hand.”

_We make a nice duet,_ Will thought happily. Rafael had such quick hands, flitting lightly over the notes like little birds on branches. Even when he messed up a few notes, it sounded almost practiced.

“Hey, you said you could do it _right_ ,” Will teased. “Look at you, all bark and no bite.”

“Oh, shut it, you idiot,” Rafael snapped, but his eyes were twinkling with merriment as he mussed up his sibling's hair. “S’not like you could be a lot better anyhow.”

“One day, big brother, one day. I’ll become as good as Rachmaninoff! And then the whole world will be clapping for me, not just you.” Will threw up his hands in a show of great amazement.

“Good luck with that,” his brother muttered darkly, so low that it could barely be heard.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing, nothing. Alright, mini Rachmaninoff, show me what you’ve got.”

It was about half an hour until Lauren and Dylan came in.

“Will, we’ve been looking for you for thirty minutes,” Lauren said crossly. “It was pretty unkind of you to ditch us like that. Come on, come on, Dylan’s got something to show us. He said it’s a new kind of flower, but _I_ think he’s trying to prank us. Probably has a giant bug waiting. Oh, hurry up!” She tapped her foot as Will looked hesitantly between her and his brother.

“Go on, you little shit, you can’t ditch your best friends like that. I’ll handle Father when he comes looking, but you better go before he catches you looking at bugs in the dirt like a moron.”

Will gaped. “RAFAEL, MOTHER SAID NO USING BAD WORDS TO ME!” 

He stuck his tongue out. “Can’t do _shit_ , you big baby. Now go, go, go before I tell Father myself. Hey, Lauren, drag him out of here.”

Lauren took this as permission to nearly yank Will’s entire arm off as she pulled him back into the garden.

“OW! Owowowowow,” Will yelped in pain. “You have the strength to take down a wrestler.”

“Well, if I’m going to be a police officer, I’ve got to be that strong, haven’t I?” Her liquid gold eyes lit up with the steely, determined glint that he admired her so much for. “You’ve also got to, since you want to be an officer too.” 

“Well…” Will considered telling her that no, he didn’t want to be, but decided against it. “Yeah, yeah, I guess.”

“Hey, do you want to tell me why you left?” Lauren stopped and turned, suddenly somber. “You don’t have to, of course, but I just want to know if I made you feel bad in any way. It’s not like you to just up and leave.”

He hesitated. “I...I just felt a little out of place with you two. You know, you’re so close, and I kind of felt like I was intruding. **It’s nothing really,** just me being stupid **,** **honestly.** **”**

She looked at him sadly, as if she could see right through him. “No, it’s not nothing, Will. You’re my best friend, and I don’t want my best friend to feel like that, _ever_. Promise me you’ll tell me if you feel like that again, okay? And I promise to make sure you never do feel like that.”

Lauren wrapped her arms around him and he returned the hug with a grateful smile.

_Stupid Will, why didn’t you just tell her in the first place?_

“Ooh, ooh, close your eyes! I’ll be right back.” Abruptly letting go of him, she dashed away.

“Right here?” Will called, surprised, but she had already vanished into a thicket of bushes.

_Well, it won’t hurt to wait._

He seated himself in a sunny patch of grass, letting the afternoon light warm up his cold skin. The sun seemed to be peering curiously at him. In a moment of foolishness, he stared up and said, “What are you looking at me for?” _Idiot, did you really think the_ SUN _would respond?_ But the foolish sentiment remained and laying down comfortably, he began to hum the sun’s song. 

_If I really reach towards you and sing your song, will you come for me?_

The quiet warmth of the garden lulled him into a peaceful nap.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

“He’s really got a penchant for falling asleep outside, hasn’t he?”

This time, it was a pair of calm gray eyes ended up in his face.

“Oh god, you two have _got_ to stop sticking your eyes in my face. It’s a really startling thing to wake up to, you know?”

“Will, I told you to wait here, _not_ to fall asleep AGAIN,” Lauren tapped his forehead with annoyance. “You’re not getting enough sleep these days, hm?”

“Anyway, what did you want to show me?” Will changed the topic, not really wanting to talk about his lack of sleep. 

“Oh right! Dylan, show him.”

“Ok, close your eyes, and _don’t_ fall asleep again,” Dylan snickered.

“Here it is!”

In front of Will was a delicately woven flower crown, made of…

“What flowers are these?”

“Pear blossoms and daisies! They symbolize promises and childhood innocence,” Lauren recited proudly.

“Oh, thank you very much! I really mean it,” Will smiled warmly, touched that his friends had thought to make such a beautiful thing for him.

“They’re our way of saying sorry,” Dylan said, uncharacteristically bashful. “Ren told me how you felt and I’m really sorry that we made you feel that way. Now put it on! We’ve got matching ones.” He placed his on his head like a crown and strutted around the clearing. 

“I’m King Edward, and Lauren’s the Queen. Will is Mister Rhysmel.” 

“No, you’re too silly to be a king. _Will_ is King Edward and _you_ can be Prince Phillip. My godfather is too cool to be played by any of us anyway,” Lauren retorted. “Come on Will, tell him that he’s too much of a baby to be a king.” She pulled her eye down with one finger and stuck her tongue out, earning an affronted glare from the white-haired boy. He threw his newsboy cap at her and it grazed a tree as it flew by, landing in a mud puddle.

“See? Proof! You missed me, ripped your hat on the tree branch, and got it dirty. Will would never do that.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Will agreed.

“I see how it is,” Dylan wailed in mock sorrow, placing one hand over his heart and the other to his head in a comically tragic manner. “Very well, make a fool out of this poor soul.”

Lauren rolled her eyes.“Stop being such a drama queen.” 

“Yes, please do.” Will said with a perfectly straight face.

As the three of them wasted away the hours of sunlight laughing and playing, Will turned once to watch the setting sun. She seemed to wink at him, as if to say _I told you I would come for you, darling._

She truly had, hadn’t she? 

**Author's Note:**

> hi, pepper here! did you like it?
> 
> I really love the Lauren and Will friendship they make my heart weep. its lovely to see a healthy friendship thats JUST a friendship between a male and female character. I know that you all are pissed by Rafael leaving Will and yes I am too, but I thought it would be nice to see where he's coming from when he just up and left like that. I actually quite like his character; I don't think he left Will without remorse, but he seems to be the type to push people he cares about away when he's upset with himself. 
> 
> anyway I just spent like two hours writing this I should probably go do my homework
> 
> comment and kudos if you enjoyed the fic~


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